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IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

Iran News
Politics
Business
Society
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Human Rights
- Incidents
- Lifestyle
- Sport
- Women
Culture
- Art
- Architecture
- Books
- Cinema
- Cultural Heritage
- Food
- Handicrafts
- Media
- Religion
World
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Home Blog Page 852

Iranian actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya appointed head of jury in Italy’s Amicorti festival

Fatemeh Askarieh

June 19, 2024

The sixth edition of the Amicorti Festival sees a strong presence of Iranian artists, building on the appointment of Milad Mansouri and Deniz Motevasseli as official members of the festival last year.

Another notable Iranian figure at the festival is singer Fariman Jabbarzadeh. Known for his recent collaboration with Italian singer Al Bano, Jabbarzadeh will serve on the jury for the music video category.

Under the leadership of Italian producer and artistic director, Rossi, the Amicorti Festival takes place annually from June 25 to 30 in Italy. The festival features competitions in six categories: short films, feature films, international short films, and music videos.

Awards will be presented on June 29 during the festival’s closing ceremony, with winners celebrated in the presence of film crews and the jury.

Russia claims Ukraine will never join NATO

IFP Media Wire

June 19, 2024

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated last week that “there is no membership issue to be discussed” unless Kiev defeats Moscow on the battlefield.

“We need to ensure that Ukraine prevails, that’s an absolute minimum for Ukraine to become a member of the alliance,” he said.

“This means this will never happen,” Ryabkov told TASS news agency on Tuesday, adding, “I hope Mr. Stoltenberg understands this.”

The Russian diplomat stated Stoltenberg should be aware of what happened after NATO announced at its Bucharest summit in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member.

“This became the trigger for much of the entire crisis that we are observing today. If NATO members are ready to fall into the same trap again and history teaches them nothing, then they will get hit again and their bruises will get worse,” he said, reiterating that Ukraine joining NATO is “ruled out”.

President Vladimir Putin has warned for nearly two decades that NATO’s policies undermine Russian national security. He signaled last week that Moscow could order a ceasefire and start negotiations as soon as Kiev completely withdraws its troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions. However, he stressed that a lasting peace can only be achieved if Ukraine commits to neutral status and abandons plans to join NATO.

Both Kiev and NATO dismissed the offer as an unacceptable “ultimatum”, but the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, noted that Ukraine would be better off accepting Putin’s offer now.

“The next terms under which a ceasefire can be achieved and some kind of peace agreement signed will be tougher with regard to Ukraine,” he warned.

Four dead in earthquake in northeast Iran

IFP Editorial Staff

June 18, 2024

Hussein Zafari, spokesperson for the Disaster Management Organization of Iran, confirmed the fatalities, attributing them to the collapse of stone building facades.

“Rescue teams were immediately deployed to the site and have been conducting necessary rescue operations,” Zafari stated.

The earthquake’s shallow depth of six kilometers exacerbated the damage.

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Four dead in earthquake in northeast Iran

Authorities are currently engaged in debris removal, and an emergency meeting is underway to coordinate further response efforts.

Initial reports indicate that the majority of injuries were caused by falling debris.

Emergency services continue to operate in the affected areas, providing aid and assessing structural damages.

Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Israel turned Gaza Strip into “hell on earth”: UN official

IFP Media Wire

June 18, 2024

Griffiths added in a statement on Monday that delivering humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip who are on the brink of famine is almost impossible, noting that civilians and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to excessive damage and that there is politicization of aid amid the spread of hunger and disease.

He pointed out that humanitarian and United Nations workers in Gaza were killed in unreasonable numbers.

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs explained that weapons continued to flow into Israel from the US and other countries despite the horrific impact of the war on civilians in Gaza.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

More than 37,370 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 85,450 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel ignored warning of Hamas’ October attack: Report

IFP Media Wire

June 18, 2024

The report, revealed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, claimed the document, dated Sept. 19 – about three weeks before the attack that Israel has described as the worst in its history – was prepared by the military intelligence unit 8200.

The outlet cited unnamed Israeli security sources saying the document “was known to intelligence leadership and, at least, to the Gaza command” of the Israeli military.

The report said the document “described in detail a series of training exercises carried out by Hamas elite units, which practiced raiding military positions and kibbutzim (small Israeli communities), kidnapping soldiers and civilians, and even instructions on how to detain and guard the abductees while inside the Gaza Strip.”

According to the report, the document outlined the initial step of the exercise as “creating breaches in a simulated Israeli army position built in Gaza that mimics sites near the Strip,” with four brigades each assigned a different location.

The report said Israeli intelligence analysts who observed the drill then “outlined the subsequent steps after infiltrating Israeli territory and seizing forward positions,” noting that the instructions called for handing over any captured soldiers to brigade commanders, with an expected 200–250 hostages.

The document also reportedly detailed the targets of the military raid the units trained for, including “command posts, operations centers, Jewish temples on military bases, the air force headquarters, communications headquarters, firing positions, and soldier housing areas.”

The report said the elite brigades were given a final order “to thoroughly verify the location upon departure and not leave any documents behind.”

The Israeli broadcaster concluded that not only were the Southern Command and the Gaza Division unaware of Hamas’ kidnapping plan, but the document also “detailed the conditions under which the hostages would be held, including instructions for the kidnappers on how to act in extreme cases, and under what circumstances the captives could be executed.”

The report noted that despite the warning, Israeli security authorities ignored the intelligence document.

It added that prior to the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7, the defense establishment had boasted about a new “smart” security barrier completed two years before the Hamas attack, featuring above- and below-ground technological systems.

Many senior Israeli political, security, and military officials later described the Hamas attack as a “major intelligence failure.”

More than 37,300 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 85,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

US says Ukraine must win war to join NATO

IFP Media Wire

June 18, 2024

US President Joe Biden believes NATO is in Ukraine’s future, but there are “a lot of things that have to be done” before it can join, Kirby said. When a journalist asked him to elaborate on the “vague conditions” and “unclear pathway” Kiev has been given, he claimed that Washington’s position is “absolutely clear”.

“First, they’ve got to win this war,” Kirby added.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure they can do that. Then when the war’s over, no matter what it looks like, they’re still going to have a long border with Russia and a legitimate security threat,” he said.

Washington will assist in building up Ukraine’s military industrial base, although “corruption is still a major concern”, Kirby added.

Moscow has warned that it sees the expansion of NATO towards Russia’s borders as an existential threat. President Vladimir Putin said Kiev’s stated intention to join the US-led military bloc was one of the key causes of the ongoing conflict.

Last Friday, the Russian leader named Moscow’s conditions for a ceasefire and the beginning of peace negotiations. The talks can start as soon as Kiev withdraws its troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, and cedes its claims to all five former Ukrainian territories that voted to join Russia, including Crimea, he said.

Moscow will not accept a frozen conflict, which would allow the US and its allies to rearm and rebuild the Ukrainian military, Putin stated, adding that Kiev must formally abandon any plans to join NATO.

The supplies of Western weapons to aid Kiev’s war efforts makes the countries providing them a party to the conflict, Moscow has insisted. Further NATO involvement in the conflict risks a direct clash between Moscow and the US-led military bloc, and threatens to expand into a nuclear conflict, the Kremlin has stressed.

Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia meets with crown prince

IFP Editorial Staff

June 18, 2024

The meeting took place during the annual reception hosted by bin Salman for government officials, Saudi princes, Islamic figures, royal guests, state guests, and heads of Hajj missions at the Mina Palace.

During the event, bin Salman delivered a speech welcoming the guests and pilgrims of the Kaaba.

He expressed his pleasure on behalf of the King of Saudi Arabia, congratulating everyone on Eid al-Adha.

Bin Salman prayed for the acceptance of the pilgrims’ rituals and for their safe and easy return home, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s commitment to facilitating the pilgrims’ journey and ensuring their comfort from arrival to departure.

In another part of his speech, bin Salman condemned the ongoing atrocities against the people of Gaza, calling for an immediate end to the aggression.

He urged the international community to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of Gazans.

He also emphasized the need for the recent UN Security Council resolutions to be implemented to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

Furthermore, the Crown Prince reiterated Saudi Arabia’s call for the international community to recognize an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, enabling the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights and fostering comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.

Israel claims its weapons exports hit record sales amid Gaza war

IFP Media Wire

June 18, 2024

The report by the defence ministry said that the total exports of Israeli arms reached $13.1bn in 2022, an increase of $500m from the previous year and double the amount of exports from five years ago.

More than a third of the sales comprised missiles, rockets and air-defence systems, with one of the biggest contracts of 2023 being with Germany, which signed a deal to purchase the Arrow 3 long-range air defence system for around $4bn.

“While our industries are primarily focused on providing the defence establishment with the capabilities to support our troops and defend our citizens, they are also continuing to pursue areas of cooperation and exports to international partners,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement.

Roughly half, 48 percent, of all sales went to the Asia and Pacific region, while Europe accounted for 35 percent of sales, and North America accounted for nine percent.

The figures were released by the defence ministry as a growing number of countries have begun to boycott or suspend the purchase of weaponry from Israel, citing its ongoing destruction of Gaza and killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians there.

Colombia announced it would be pausing its purchases of Israeli arms, after its president, Gustavo Petro, called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.

In May, a French court banned Israeli companies from participating in an annual defence industry exhibition, with the country’s defence ministry saying the move was likely linked to Paris’ objection to an Israeli assault on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza where more than a million Palestinians had fled to in order to escape Israeli bombardment.

Bloomberg reported that some of Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturers were asked in the early weeks of Israel’s war on Gaza to prioritise supplies to Israel’s military. However, with the war still going on and there being no end in sight, these companies are focused on the international market.

“If Rafael wants to be able to provide for Israel as well as stay ahead of the game in research and development, we need international markets, which are our only assurance for real growth,” Gideon Weiss, the company’s vice president for international business development, stated in a statement given to Bloomberg.

Israel’s war on Gaza began on 7 October, when Palestinian fighters led by Hamas broke out of Gaza and launched on attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 people captive.

Israel responded with an immediate siege of Gaza, and launched an aerial bombardment campaign followed by a ground invasion. So far, Israel has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The US has supported Israel’s war efforts, sending tens of thousands of weapons, including precise bombs and ammunition to help fill the military’s supply lines. Israel currently has around $23bn worth of active military contracts with the US.

For years, the US has been Israel’s largest suppliers of weapons, making up for 69 percent of Israeli arms imports between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

The US also provides Israel with $3.8bn in military assistance each year.

Many of these recent arms transfers, given their size and individual cost, have also gone under the public radar, making it difficult to know the true extent of how many weapons the US has sent to Israel since October.

US selling dozens of F-15s to Israel amid Gaza war

IFP Media Wire

June 18, 2024

Citing three unnamed officials familiar with the issue, the Washington Post reported on Monday that Representative Gregory Meeks and Senator Ben Cardin, who had for months held up the sale, had signed off on the deal several weeks ago.

“The decision, which has not been previously reported, underscores the substantial appetite in Washington to continue the flow of arms to Israel despite concerns from younger members of Congress that the United States should use its leverage to pressure Israel to reduce the intensity of the war and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the newspaper said.

Meeks and Cardin are two of four lawmakers who can effectively veto a foreign military sale.

“Any issues or concerns Chair Cardin had were addressed through our ongoing consultations with the (Biden) Administration, and that’s why he felt it appropriate to allow this case to move forward,” Eric Harris, communications director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the daily in a statement.

Meeks stated he has been in “close touch” with the White House about the package and “repeatedly urged the administration to continue pushing Israel to make significant and concrete improvements on all fronts when it comes to humanitarian efforts and limiting civilian casualties”.

The State Department can now proceed with notifying Congress of the approved sale, the next step to completing the transaction.

If ultimately approved, the deal would be one of the largest arms sales to Israel since the war on Gaza began.

The United States has been providing the regime with thousands of tons of military equipment since Tel Aviv launched the war in October 2023.

Israel unleashed the Gaza onslaught on October 7 after Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out Operation al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime has so far killed at least 37,350 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 85,372 others, according to the Gaza-based health ministry.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.